Anthropology 1020E Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Homo Erectus, Homo Habilis, Genus Homo (Novel)

• School: Western University
• Department: Anthropology
• Course: Anthropology 1020E
• Professor: Lisa Hodgetts

Document Summary

What can the fossil record tell us about human origin. The study of human evolution using the fossil record. What other evolutionary trends might pas look for: distinctive dentition, expanded brain, and culture. When new fossils are found, pas must match them to existing fossils, or decide whether they represent species variation or an entirely new species. Bipedalism: when and where? (cid:862)tra(cid:374)sitio(cid:374)al(cid:863) ho(cid:373)i(cid:374)i(cid:374: transition between ape-like locomotion and bipedal locomotion, ardipithecus ramidus, 4-6 million years old, found in ethiopia. Larger brains (over 600 cm3: flatter face, smaller teeth, greater reliance on tools (culture, use of fire, moved out of africa and the old world, there are ~10 different species in the homo genus including homo sapiens. Handy man : oldest recognized tools, oldowan tradition (cid:862)chopper(cid:863) Homo sapiens: archaic homo sapiens, 500 kya, displays a mix of homo erectus and modern homo sapiens traits (e. g. , skull features)